Cord retriever



' Mar. 113, 1.923.

L. HOLLOWAY CORD 'RETRIEVER Filed. May 2, V Z I @J I gwuenlfoa jazzwdjfallaz q structed in accordance Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

U .5 E" Y LOUISA. HOLLOWAY, or Eastman, rENNsaavAa-m.

I Conn ni irnrnvnn.

Application filed May 2,

T all whom it 00m I Be it knownthat'I, Lom'saHorLowAY, a citizen of the UnitedfStates, residing at Pittsburgh, in the countyof'All'egheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Cord Retriever, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of this in'vention to provide novel means whereby an electrical conductor, a gas tube or'the like, forming a part of the heating means for a flat iron or other appliance may be retracted, and kept out of the way of theoperator, whilst the operator is handling the appliance.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without de-' parting from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in elevation, a device conwith the invention, Figure 2 is an elevation, the view being in the nature of a detail enlarged from Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan of the horizontally swinging arm; Figure 4 is a section taken through the drum; and Figure 5 is a plan showing a portion of the shell of the drum.

In the embodiment illustrated the invention is shown applied to an ironing board 1. i The numeral 2 denotes a standard provided at its lower end with a foot 3 attached by securing elements 4 to the ironing board 1. At its upper end,'the standard 2 is supplied with a'horizontal extension 5. o

The device includes an arm 6 made up of superposed strips 7 connected by securing elements 26, and spaced to form ears 8, between which the extension 5 of the standard 2 is located, a pivot element 9 uniting the ears 8 with the extension, so that the arm 6 may swing horizontally, the ears 8 having openings 27 for the reception of the pivot element 9. The strips out of which the arm 6 is made, are twisted as indicated at 10 extended laterally and then forward in parallel relation, to form a fork the tines or 1921. 'Serial m. wines.

arms of which are arranged face to faeefin spaced relation and'apertured to 'form"bear ings for a shaft 12.

The shaft 12*is'm01'1'ntedin 4 llfbeingpreferably threaded at o'ne end, as indicat d -at 14, into one am 'of the fork; Adiu'ih- 15 is located between thearms 11 of the fork and is 'journaiearer rota-tion'fon the shaft 12, the drum comprising a shell 16, and heads 17 between which the shell'is located and held. A helical spring 18 is located within the drum 15 and surrounds the shaft 12. One end of the helical spring 18 is secured to the 'shaf as indicated at 19, the other end 20 of the spring being secured to the drum 15. The shell 16 of the drum is provided with a key hole slot 21, wherein is received and retained, one end of a flexible element 22 wound aboutthe shell 16 of the drum 15, between the heads 17 o-fthe drum. By means of a clamp 23, the flexible element 22 may be attached to any portion of a flexible member 24 connected with a flat iron 25 adapted for use on the ironing board 1 or with any other appliance. The flexible member 24 which is connected to the flat iron 25 may be an electrical conductor, a gas tube, or a part of a heating means of any desired sort.

When the flat iron 25 is advanced along the ironing board 1, the flexible element 22 will be unreeled from the drum l5 and the spring 18 will be put under tension. When the flat iron 25 is retracted along the ironing the fork-arms board, toward the standard 2, the spring 18 will react and impart reverse rotation to the drum 15, the flexible element 22 being reeled upon the drum. When the flexible element 22 is reeled upon" the drum, the member 24 which is connected with the flat iron 25 will be carried rearwardly, and will be kept out of the way of the operator. The construction and the operatic-n of the device are such that a person may carry out the operation of ironing, without paying any attention to the gas tube, the electrical conductor or the like, which is assembled with the flat iron, it being well known that much timeis consumed and inconvenience and annoyance produced when, in the operation of ironing, attention mustbe given to the elec trieal conductor or gas tube for the flat iron. Owing to the fact that the arm 6 can swing in a horizontal plane on the standard 2, the

flexible element 22 will not jump off the drum 15, the arm 6 swinging on the pivot element 9 and following the flexible element .22, as the same moves horizontally, responsive to the movements of the fiat iron 25, toward and away from the operator and'transversely of the ironing board 1.

I claim A device of the class described comprising a bracket to be mounted on a suitable support, an arm mounted to swing on said bracket in a horizontal plane, said arm being composed of a pair of metal strips arranged in superposed relation for a portion of their length and contacting with each other, said superposed portions being rigidly connected, the parallel ends of the strips being spaced apart and apertured to receive a pintle, said strips in advance of their rigid connection beingtwisted and extended laterally in opposite directions and then forward parallel with each other to form a bearing fork, a drum rotatably mounted between the arms of said fork, a flexible element connected at one end to said drum and adapted tobe wound thereon, and a helical spring mounted in said drum and adapted to exert its tension when the flexible element wound on the drum is unreeled.

In testimony that I claim theioregoing as my own, I have hereto aifixed'my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

' LOUISA HOLLOW'AY. Witnesses: i WALTER D. YOUNG,

J. A. YOUNG, 

